Historic Sights of Tashkent

Registan Ensemble

Welcome to Registan Square in Samarkand. Here you will find information, view photos and read tourist reviews of Registan Square in Samarkand.
The Samarkand of 1405 was the pride of the Muslim world. Its major monuments remain, even today striking testament to the skills of the imported artisans from throughout the Muslim world and to the drive of Temur and his successors to construct edifices of symbolic power and beauty. Within its five-mile-long walls, the core of the city was the Registan, a huge public square surrounded on three sides by religious complexes of mosques, khans, and madrasas. Built at different times by members of the Timurid dynasty between 1370 and 1500, these beautiful buildings ‘held up the sky’ with their huge portals, twin minarets, thousands of blue tiles, and carved marble. The Arab proverb is emblazoned on one building, ‘If you want to understand us, examine our monuments’. In 1888 ‘the noblest public square in the world no European spectacle in deed can adequately be compared to it’. Registan, in local language means ‘sandy place’. It is a plaza, bound on three sides with two large madrassah and a mosque with a noticeably crooked minaret. The madrassah are large square buildings bordered by rows of student roomswith arches opening into central courtyard. Classic blue domes crown the buildings, and mosaic covers every available inch of wall space. Sat for hours before the Registan, with its three Registan luminous madrassah, in the morning light the, it seemed to me one of the most alluring places created by humankind. The first madrassah on the left, its imposing arched entranceway decorated with star motifs, was named after Ulugbek Temur‘s grandson and astronomer. He believed in teaching more than theology in the madrassah, and the star motifs are a statement of his determination - amidst opposition that the science and astronomy be taught here. In the rooms lining in the madrassah now stand souvenir shops stacked with rugs, jewelry and other tourist attractions. The high facades of the madrassah on the right are a mishmash of high Islam, Sufi symbolism, astrology, and Persia’s Zoroastrian hangover. Despite the ban on human or animal likenesses, lions striped like tigers prowl the Shir Dar’s high arch, with Mongol faced sunbursts peeping over their backs. Dullwitted deer await the big cat’s jaws. The standard geometric patterns and flowers are there, too, but elevated to a level of uncommon beauty. The calligraphy above the madrasah’s inner arch is a dignified signpost along a divine path. With its minarets and turquoise dome, the Shir Darseems a fairytale castle of faith, as do its two brethren bordering the square. But words don’t do. The Registan must be seen. And felt.
During centuries Registan Square was the center of Samarkand. The word Registan means “sand place”. There was a river running there many ages ago, before building the first Madrassah on the square. Years passed, the river dried out and left lots of sank there, that was the first place where the first Madrassah was built in the beginning of the 15th century and named Registan square. As the Madrassah was first built, all the holidays, parades, festivals and Sunday bazaars took place.The ensemble consists of three Madrassah: Ulugbek Madrassah (15th century), Sher – Dor Madrassah (17th century) and Tilla-Kari Madrassah (gold covered)(17th century).Madrassah– is the Muslim high educational institution. Only the boys from reach families studied there. The training lasted for 10, 12, 20 years. It was up to the discipline the student selected. The main discipline for all of them was Learning Koran. The rest of the subjects were not obligatory and could be selected by students.
The Ulugbek Madrassah was built by the Ulugbek’s order and guidance. It lasted only three years from 1417 to 1420. When the medresse was constructed, Ulugbek gave lectures on mathematics and astronomy till his death.
Two years later, the ruler of Samarkand Yalangtush Bahadur ordered to build the copy of the Madrassah, and the second Sher-Dor Madrassah was built opposite it. The only difference was that it had two more winter teaching halls, but the main structure was the same as in Ulugbek Madrassah.
Several years later, the same ruler of Samarkand ordered the third Tilla-Kari Madrassah. Its outward is the same as those two other medresses, but coming in you’ll see a one story building. To make the architectural ensemble, the architecture made two floors on the outside but only one inside. Madrassah was always built by one project – four-cornered yard with four terraces and cells along the whole perimeter. The main entrance was always locked with lattice and two other entrances were used by purpose. The doors in cell were always low because “Islam” means “obedience”, that is why everyone who entered or went out of cell always had to bow, it was like greeting and wishing health to everyone. Only Tilla-Kari Madrassah was bult like medresse, but was used mostly as mosque; just looking at minarets can see this, Tilla-Kari has low minarets to call people to pray.
In 17th century Till-Kari mosque and Madrassah was the biggest mosque in Samarkand. Right up to 19th century Madrassah and Madrassah-mosque was used by purpose, and only from the beginning of 20th century till now they serve as monuments.
“Eden of Ancient East”, “Precious Pearl of Islam World”, “Rome of East”, “Rui Zamin” - “Face of Earth” - with such magnificent names poets, historians, medieval geographers of Iran, India, China, Byzantium, Egypt called Samarkand. Even though of such magnificent description Samarkand saw many sites of fire and destructions, which left their sign in history.